Getting organized.

I've always been the kind of girl who likes to "wing it". I've heard of other housewives/homemakers/moms/domestic engineers having "schedules" to keep everything at bay. That seemed so silly to me. Just do everything when it needs to get done! Right?

Actually, the idea of making a schedule is growing on me. I guess I already do a bit of scheduling, since we meal plan in advance. I also plan for the Richmond Mommies playdates. In addition to all of this, I have come to realize that I need a housekeeping schedule. No more running around, trying to clean all the things.

My obsession with "CLEAN ALL THE THINGS!" comes from this hilarious blog post: This is why I'll never be an adult. Go ahead and read this blog. I swear, you won't get anything done for about 2 hours.

Anyway. Back to the schedule. It's really tough to get much cleaning done when Jamie's awake. Unless I'm in the kitchen (where I can see him and more importantly, he can see me), and even then, it's a losing battle. He shrieks, he's into something, he's thirsty, he has a dirty diaper, etc. Also, I've decided that most mornings will be set aside for errands or playdates.

Lately, he's been napping for a few hours each afternoon, and here's what I've decided: each day, I will focus on 1 room. And 1 room only. Unless it's the bathroom, in which case I will clean all 3, because I'll have the supplies out anyway. I will clean as thoroughly as I can and then I take a break until Jamie wakes up. No more feeling like I have to get the entire house spotless in 1 day! I'm on day 3 of this brilliant plan, and so far, so good. I feel great because at least 1 room is sparkling and then I get to sit down with a glass of iced tea and something good to watch on Tivo. Then Jamie wakes up, we play, or go do something, and then it's 5pm and time to start dinner.

I also decided that I should do at least 1 load of laundry a day. I usually put it off and end up with 5 loads on Friday. It's a little crazy. The kitchen is littered with piles of dirty clothes. With 3 people in a house, 1 load a day might seem excessive (it did to me, originally), but there's always something dirty -- towels, sheets, Jamie's little stained clothes, bibs and dish towels, etc.

I really do love taking care of the household. We're usually busy on the weekends, or we like to spend time together as a family, so there isn't time to clean and run errands then. I also don't want to put everything off until Scott gets home. So basically, it's important to me to do the best job I can at home. I'm always curious as to how other moms manage their homes, so if anyone has ever been curious about us, well, here it is.